A Severed Touch
by Firnantowen
Summary: As in The Two Towers, Merry and Pippin have been captured by the orcs. This fanfic contains a more in-depth view of that and what Merry and Pippin feel. PG-13 for slash (though for now it's only insinuated) and a bit of violence.


A/N: If you were looking for some good, 'ol-fashioned slash fun, it's unfortunately not going to be in this chapter. There's just a bit of slash suggestion here. Sorry for disappointing you, if you really wanted some REAL slash. That will be in the next chapter or two.  
  
Setting: Merry and Pippin have been captured by the orcs. It's like an alternate universe sort of thing because I based what I'm writing on the Uruk-hai chapter of The Two Towers, but I went a bit more in depth and, of course, made it a slash fanfic.  
  
WARNING: If you have not read The Two Towers yet: a) you probably will not know what's going on and how it got to be like this and b) there are a few spoilers in this story, so turn back now if you don't want anything to be given away.  
  
  
  
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"Merry?"  
  
Pippin sat silently in the cold night that surrounded Merry, himself, and a multitude of orcs. He waited for a reply, but none came.   
  
"Psst, Merry?" he whispered again. There was still no response, but this time an orc took the liberty of kicking him in the side to make sure he shut up.  
  
He cringed in silence, wanting to cry out in pain but suppressing his urge so that he would not be injured any further.  
  
"Oh, what have they done to you, my poor Merry?" he thought to himself. Pippin so wished that he could be close to Merry, but he knew there was no chance of that in the state he was in.  
  
It currently seemed a lost cause to try and get Merry's attention any more. Pippin knew he had been badly wounded by the orcs. By orders of Saruman they were not meant to kill the halflings, so Merry and Pippin were not in mortal danger for now. Saruman, however, had by no means mentioned anything about treating them well, so they suffered day and night under the close watch of their evil captors.   
  
Pippin's side still pounded with pain, but he tried to forget about it. "I've got to get through this…for Frodo, and Sam, and Bilbo, and Aragorn, and Legolas, and Gimli, and my dear family…for Boromir and Gandalf, bless their souls..and especially for Merry..."   
  
He was not tired at all, being full of such fear and anguish, but Pippin knew that he must get rest. There were long treks ahead of him, he was sure, and he had to save whatever strength he had left in him.  
  
"Please Merry...please pull through this...for me..." whispered Pippin as he closed his eyes.  
  
  
  
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Pippin awoke with a start to find a wretched face hovering over him.  
  
"Get up, you!" an orc had ordered him viciously, and pulled Pippin up by his head of full, curly hair. He gasped silently in anguish, as the orc lifted him to his full height so he was standing. Turning towards Merry, he saw him still to be out cold, but the orcs were attempting to wake him, forcing their foul-tasting draught into his mouth and smearing their primitive medicine over his wounded forehead. When Merry eventually came to, Pippin rejoiced to himself, so as not to get in any further trouble with the orcs.  
  
"Pippin..." Merry said weakly, and was jabbed by one of the orc's jagged weapons in punishment for speaking. He jolted forward and collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.  
  
There was so much that separated Pippin and himself...the shackles they bore around their ankles, the orcs that would not let them near each other, or let alone talk to each other. If only they could be free again…free to live their lives as they once did, with so much joy, and happiness…and with each other.   
  
There was so much pain and devastation in the cruel world that Pippin had been forced to reside in; physical pain was only the half of it, for Pippin's heart, it seemed to him, was in the greatest pain of all. The cuts, bruises, and welts caused by the orcs could never compare to the sickness that was eating away at his heart at this very moment. Pippin knew he was with Merry in terms of his presence, but not at all in terms of the feelings and the emotions that he couldn't possibly share at this time. If he and Merry couldn't be together, physically interacting with one another and exchanging emotions, they were not really together at all, he decided.  
  
Merry paralleled Pippin in terms of his feelings. Even before he had awakened from his agonizing sleep, Merry had never thought about anything but Pippin. He too felt as if they were not really together, and would never be if tehy could not escape the trecherous servants of Saruman.  
  
The orcs took Pippin by surprise as they held his head back and fed him their draught, the only means of so-called nutrution for the past few days during their capture. Pippin almost gagged as the putrid liquid streamed down his throat, filling his belly with something that churned inside of him, something of which the ingredients were unknown, and he did not like to think about. Pippin often felt nauseous after being fed the draughts, but he did not resist consuming them for fear of starvation. He finished swallowing the vile liquid and stood for a moment as the orcs walked away from him. They appeared to be congregating to discuss further plans.  
  
Pippin listened to the orcs as some began to talk in their own orcish tongues while others spoke in the common language. The conversation was hard to understand with so many voices mixing together at once. He then focused his attention on something else, and decided he would check on Merry. He looked to his side where he thought Merry would be kneeling on the ground as he was before, but instead he found Merry splayed out; he was too weak, for the orcish medicine must not have been enough to compensate for his wound and the newly acquired one.  
  
Merry was as much a part of Pippin's life as his own. Knowing that Merry was not well made Pippin feel even worse about himself, and it tore him apart inside that Merry had to be the one who suffered so much.  
  
Pippin stopped looking at Merry and decided to try listening in on the orc's conversation. Apparently, the orcs would be moving them along tonight, and they had woken Merry and Pippin up to give them their daily draughts so they would be prepared for their departure at nightfall. From the look of the sky above, it looked to be either dawn or sunset. Pippin assumed it was sunset, for there was still a trace of warmth in the air, and no mist covered the ground as it often did before the sun arose. The scenery before the two hobbits and the orcs was a magnificent sight to see, but it could not compensate for the terrible experience that Merry and Pippin were continuing to suffer through. Pippin looked around at the presence before him, and gave a longing sigh. He knew how wonderful the sky and trees and grass were, and he presumed he would never see anything like them again.  
  
"It's beautiful here. Beautiful, just like the Shire..." he mouthed in Silence. A few stray tears fled from his emerald-colored eyes, and hit the ground with an inaudible splash. "Beautiful, just like Merry..." and with that, he sat down and shut his tearing eyes, preparing himself mentally for the torture he would have to endure later that night.  
  
  
  
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Hmm, so that's the end of the first chapter. Please review it and let me know what you think of it :). I'm pretty knew at writing this type of fanfic, and I appreciate all the feedback I get.  
  
P.S. The more reviews I get, the more 'motivated' I'll be to get the next chapter up, mwahahaa *trails off with an evil laugh* 


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